I started drumming at 15, after years of pleading with my mom to let me go for it. From that first beat, I was hooked.

At 16, I hit the jackpot—a weeklong Jazz camp where I met the legendary Jeff Hamilton. Watching him play turned me into a Jazz devotee, and his melodic approach still influences my drumming today.

After graduating high school in Kansas City in 1990, I spent a year at a local conservatory, studying classical percussion and playing Jazz. My drum set teacher, Todd Strait, a true drum wizard, taught me the independence every drummer needs.

The next year, I transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I learned from legends like John Ramsay, who introduced me to the rhythms of Art Blakey, Bob Tamagni, who taught me the New Orleans feel, and Joe Hunt, who drilled Swing right into my bones.

Berklee also sparked a love for Brazilian music, and I dove deep into it with the Berklee Samba School guided by great drummers like Henrique de Almeida and Fernando Andrade.

Unfortunately, tendonitis cut my time there short. After only two years at Berklee, I moved to Seattle, healed my arms, and refined my technique. I joined Brazilian bands, a Jump Blues band, some other Jazz groups and played countless gigs across the Pacific Northwest.

In 2000, I took my love for Jazz to Honolulu, where I played with the Honolulu Jazz Quartet and 100's of other Jazz gigs each year. I even led my own Brazilian band, Sambanda and taught over 10,000 drum lessons to kids and adults alike!

In 2016, I relocated to the Japan's Jazz city Kobe area of Japan, where I’ve been playing with incredible musicians and teaching Jazz exclusively.  In my nearly 40 years of drumming I've played with 1000's of musicians on thousands of gigs. Some highlights include performances with Benny Golson, Stanley Jordan, Eddie Henderson and Geoff Keezer.

Jazz Drum School is the result of my passion for both Jazz drumming and teaching. I hope it’ll help make Jazz drumming your passion, too!  -Von